Boko Haram threaten kidnap spree

A Nigerian Islamist group which is waging a war on Christians in the North of the country, has warned that it will begin to kidnap Christian women, in order to increase terror in the region.

Militants from Boko Haram have been carrying out a series of bloody attacks on churches and homes, as they try to remove all Christians from Northern Nigeria.

And yesterday they warned that they would take their campaign of violence to a new level, by specifically targeting Christian women, in an attempt to force Christian families to leave.

A spokesman for the group told an Egypt based website that the group will not harm the women, but will demand that the families leave the region by way of ransom.

The anonymous spokesman said: “We are going to put into action new efforts to strike fear into the Christians of the power of Islam by kidnapping their women… We will demand as ransom that the families leave our Islamic areas.”

Boko Haram have been very clear about their desire to rid the region of Christians, and to establish it as an Islamic area, run according to Sharia law.

They have already claimed responsibility for a campaign of deadly bombings, which began on Christmas Day, when dozens were killed in a series of coordinated blasts.

President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from Southern Nigeria, has promised to crack down on the insurgents, but so far has seemed unable to stem the flow of violence.

But he has been hampered by rumours that sections of his own government are secretly aiding the sect, whose campaign of terror stretches back as far as 2009, and is estimated to have so far claimed over 1000 lives.

SIMON CROSS

This article was written and published by Simon Cross for Christian.co.uk